Circular-knitting machine



`(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. HL REED. GIRGULAR KNITTING MACHINE.-

N0.408,522. Patented Aug. 6, 1889.

(No Model.) Y 2 Shets-Sheet 2.

J. H. REED. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

v L E Rara/WM Hf y. SS

Patented Aug. 6, 1889.

UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. REED, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,522, dated August 6, 1889.

Application led February 20, 1888. Serial No. 264,613. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, J AMES H. REED, of Lynn, county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvem ents in Oircular-Knittin g Machines, of which the following is a specitication, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, in which- Figure l is a plan view of one form of knittin g-machine with myimprovelnent attached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line' Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line lyy,Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a similar section showing a needle in its downward movement before it reaches the lowest point. Fig. 6 is a detail.-

The object of lny invention is'to provide a series of positively-actuated jacks arranged between the needles of a knitting-machine, and serving to throw back or tighten the last strand of yarn' which has been knitted into the work, and thus prevent the loops from riding on the needles as the latter move upward; and my invention consists/in the construction andcombinations of parts, as hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Ihave-illustrated my invention as applied to a circularknit-ting machine, and as such machines are familiar to those skilled in the art Iwill confine my description to my improvements, referring only to such parts of the machine as may be necessary to make the description clear.

Like parts are designated by like letters throughout the drawings.

A is the needle cylinder or support, and o the needles, which move vertically in grooves in the outside thereof, being provided with projections b, which ride on a revolving cam d, in the well-known manner. pivoted to the upper ends of the needles, are of the usual construction and open as the needle is raised to take the thread, closing as the needle moves downward, and allowing the preceding loop to slip over the hook and off the needle. The needles are spaced on the cylinder A according to the ineness of the work desired; but in the finest work the needles are sufticiently apart to admit of the insertion between them of jacks B,each of which is of the shape shown, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, and

^ shown.

The latches f,'

which is only the thickness of the thin sheet of metal from which it is cut. This jack is set edgewise, its lower end extending downwardly inside the needle-cylinder and terminating in a rounded end g, which rests in a socket or corresponding groove h, cut on the inside of the cylinder.

The end g may be pivoted in position, if desired.

To prevent the jack from falling out of the groove h, a collar or ring D is secured inside the cylinder below the groove h, the upper inner edge of the ring being cut away to accommodate the rounded end of the jack and to admit of the raising of the ring D in case it isdesired to bring its upper edge nearer to the projection j on the jack, and thus give the jack less play or prevent it falling as far inward as it otherwise would when there was no work on the machine. The spur or projectionj, projecting inwardly from the jack above the upper edge of the ring D, comes in contact with the ring and prevents the jack from falling too far inward. The upper end of the jack projects nearly horizontally over the upper edge of the needle-cylinder and between the needles, and is provided rearwardly 'with a beak 7c, forming a mouth Z, to receive the yarn or thread. Outside the needle-cylinder the jack is provided with a projection m, extending outwardly and upwardly, as The projection m serves to support the jack by resting on the upper edge of a flanged ring E, which rests outside the needlecylinder on a ledge or projection H thereon. The flangeof the ring E rests on the projection, and thus the ring may be revolved around the cylinder. When the needle is down, in the act of forming a loop, the jack Amust be out to carry its mouth Zoutside of the line of the needle, as shown in Fig. 4, while when the needles are up and while they are rising their jacks are also up, or moving up or inward, as shown. To depress the jack or allow it to drop back into the position shown, Fig. 4, a depression is cut in the upper edge of the ring E, as shown at J, Fig. 2. As the ring E revolves under the jacks they fall into the depression J, and are thus in the position required when the needle is knitting the stitch. To insure the dropping of the jacks into this depression and make their movement posi- IOO tive, a rider K, Figs. l and 2, is secured at each end in blocks n, fast to the outside of the ring E. This rider may be made from coarse wire or from a strip of metal bent downwardly at each end and having a depression in the middle, which bears on the projections m of the jacks, and which is of a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the depression J in the ring E. The space between the depression in the ring and the rider is sufficient to allow the projections m of the jacks to pass through easily. NVhen the jack rises out of the depression J, it receives the thread which connects the newly-formed loops in its mouth Z, pushes the thread back of the line of the needle, draws the loop taut, and holds the thread down and prevents it riding up on the needles.

As will be obvious, the jacks must go out as the needles go down-in other words, the depression J of ring E Ymust correspond in movement with that portion of the needlecam which moves the needle down and throws it up again, and to get this result I revolve the ring E with the cam-ring M by securing a stop N (see Fig. 6) to the outside of ring E and an upright P to the cam-ring. The upright and stop are adjustable by lneans of slots, as shown, and the upright projects upwardly, so as to come in contact with the stop, and thus carry the ring E around with the cam-ring.

It is necessary that the thread-carrier or delivery-tube shall move in advance of the needles that are at work, in order to deliver the thread to the succeeding needles properly, and in reversing` the machine, as in knitting the heel or toe of a sock, while the deliverytube is passing back to get into position, the needles which are down-that is, which rest on the needle-cam-are at rest and the ring E and its depression J must be stationary. To admit of this, another stop N is secured at the proper place on the ring E, (see Fig. 6,) and the cam-ring travels in the reverse direction without moving the ring E until the upright P comes in contact with the stop N', when it moves -the ring E with it in the reverse direction. In this way the jacks operate in unison with the needles when the machine is reversed.

The thread-delivery tube R is pivoted in the usual manner to an upright S, fast to the cam-ring, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) in order thatit may be thrown up out of the way when desired. The bore of the tube is quickly worn by the passing of the yarn, forming a groove in which the yarn will catch, and which is obviously objectionable. Glass and similar substances have been run into the bore to prevent this; but these are objectionable and when worn cannotI be easily replaced. They are also fixed and cannot be extended if it be desired to lengthen the tube so as to adjust the delivery of the thread. To obviate .these objections I employ a loose bushing or core p, of hard material, as steel, which I secure in place by means of a set-screw r, Fig. 3. When the bushing becomes worn at one point, I loosen the set-screw and turn it so asv to expose another part to the action of the thread. In this way a bushing will last a long time and is very inexpensive, While the tube R, which holds the bushing, will practically outlast the machine. The bushing p may also be adjusted laterally toward or from the line of the needles, and thus the delivery of the thread may be adjusted relatively thereto.

As will be obvious, the mouths Z of the jacks B move in the arc of a circle, and so move the strand of yarn back into the right position and with the exact movement required, which is desirable.

l. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with the needle-cylinder provided on its inside with an annular groove h, and a series of needles carried by said cylinder, of a series of jacks B, placed between said needles and having rounded lower ends g to enter said groove, and projections m, the ring D, secured within said cylinder with its u pper edge above the bottom of said groove, the revoluble anged ring E outside of said cylinder, to be engaged by said projections, and having a Cain-depression in its upper edge and a stop or projection N, the cam-ring M, and the upright P, substantially as set forth.

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with the needle-cylinder having the interior groove h, and a series of needles carried by said cylinder, of a series of jacks B, placed between said needles and having rounded lower ends fitting in said groove, outwardlyextending projections m, and inwardly-extending projectionsj, the ring D, adjustably secured within said cylinder, the revolublc.

ring E, having a cam-depression in its upper edge and a stop or projection N, the cam-ring lvl, and the upright P, substantially as set forth.

3. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with the needle-cylinder having the support H, of the revoluble ring E, sustained on said support and having a cam-depression in its upper edge, the needles, the jacks B, having the projections m, one or more stops secured to the exterior of the ring E, the upright P, and the cani-ring M, substantially as set forth.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with the needle-cylinder having the support H, of the needles, the jacks B, arranged between said needles and having the outwardlyextending projections m, the ring E, resting on said support and having one or more stops, as N, the upright P, the cam-ring M, and the rider K, arranged above the said projections rm. and serving to force the said jacks outward positively, substantially as set forth. JAMES H. REED. Vitnesses:

WM. A. MAoLEon, ROBERT WALLACE.

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